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Bulletin No, 66 M. M. LEIGHTON March 6, 1923, 
S 
34.65: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA 
Bur v6 


DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS 
James FP, Woodward, Secretary 


BUREAU OF TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
George H. Ashley, State Geologist 








2 mE 


r OIL & GAS DEVELOPMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA IN 1922. 


M, HE. Johnson. 





I, Wildcat operations in eastern counties, 


Drilling operations were carried on in several of the eastern 
counties of the State in 1922 without success. 


In Chester County the well put down near lyndell, Exst Brandywine 


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‘ EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS USED 


© Drilling wet #011 pool 
os Gas well Dry hole 


Map showing location of wells and pools referred to in text. 




























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township, by the Farmers Oil Company and which was revorted two or 
three different times to have struck oil, has been abandoned at a 
depth of 1200 feet and all hopes given up of striking oil in paying 
auantities,. 


the same company had no better luck with its welis at Leamar 
Place and Lancaster in Lancaster County. The latter well was sunk to 
a depth of 2500 feet; that at Leaman Place 1280 feet.‘ The company is 
now drilling another well near New Salem, York County, which is down 
about 1,000 feet at the present time (February 15, 1923). 


1 series of mishaps has delayed and hinderec the drilling of the: 
well in Tyrone township, Perry County, which the Cumberland-Ferry Oil, 
Gas and Mineral Comoany started in 1921,.. At the present time the hole 
is down about 500 feet and operations have been suspended indefinitely, 


In wayne County a local company drilled a well 3 miles from 
Honesdale which on July 25th was down 950 feet, At that time no gas 
or oil had been found, 


II, Other wildcat operations, 


Considerable success attended the efforts of the Clinton Natural 
Gas and Oil Company which brought in a number of good gas wells in 
leidy township, Clinton’County, The largest of these wells is reportec 
to have a capacity of 2,000,000 cubic feet and a rock pressure 
(Aug. 13th) of 960 pounds per square inch, Production was obtained 
in this well at a depth of 900 feet. As the well started in the 
Pocono formation, it is probable that the gas is from near the horizon 
of the Third sand, Until-the well has been visited and the detailed 
formation record obtained, however, it will be impossible to name the 
procucing horizon with any certainty. The wells are located in a 
rather inaccessible part of the county and as yet the gas has not been 
utilized, 


‘Drilling is reported in the northeastern part of Clinton County 
also, but no production has been obtained there as yets. 


Considerable interest is being shown in Potter, Tioga and Brad- 
ford counties and a large acreage has been leased, The Bradford 
County Oil and Coal Corporation is drilling a well at the present time 
at Chases Mills in Ward township, Tioga County, and plans to drill 
others in Bradford County. The West Branch Oil Company plans to drill 
near Germania, Potter County. | 


In Clearfield County an interesting though unsuccessful test was 
completed on the Whitmer-Steele lease in Lawrence township, This is 
the second dry hole completed on this lease in the last two vears, but 
the backers, nothing daunted, are going ahead now with a third test. 
pach of the first two lioles was sunk to a depth of about 3150 feet anda 
traces of both oil and gas were found in them. The wells started 
almost at the base of the Pottsviile formation and hence tested out 
all knovm producing sands to a depth of 4200 feet below the horizon of 
the Pittsburgh coal. 


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In Inciana County efforts to extend the producing territory towar« 
the east met with little success, ‘Most of the wells drilled were 
dusters or small gassers. 


Perhaps the most interesting test well in ail Pennsylvania is’thé 
being drilled near ifeCance, Ligonier township, Westmoreland County, b: 
the Peoples Natural Gas Company on the Seger Bros. property. When 
last reported (Jan. 28, 1923) this well was drilling at a depth of 
6866 feet or about 45 feet below the depth at which gas was encountevec: 
in their first deep test in this territory. It was expected tnat pay 
sand would be encountered at less depth in the present test than in 
their first test because of its location on the apex of the Chestnut 
nidge anticline; but it. is possible that an unconformity msy exist 
which would nullify the slight increase in elevation of tne outcropping 
rocks, «a third deep well is being sunk near their first well on the 
Booth and Flynn property and this well is now {Jan. 28th) down more 
than 6300 feet. 


In Somerset County the Cumberland Oil Company, Inc., is preparing 
to drill a deep test we 11 on the Noah Lint Heirs farm in Creenville 
township. 


Wildeat operations in Erie and Warren counties were almost 
uniitormly unsuccessful, North of Corry two wells were Sunk on the 
watrous farm, the last one to a deoth of 1500 reet; and both were 
Gusters. a well within the city limits on the Thomas Grecn property 
Was equally unsuccessful, At Youngsville, Broken Straw township, 
warren County, the Star Oil Company Grilled their well to a depth of 
9035 feet tefore giving up the hole as a duster, The Medina sand was 
found at a depth of 4537 but proved barren of oil and gas, An inter- 
Ssving thing about this hole is that it contains only 420 feet of 
Casing, the hole being open below that depth, 


Cil is obtained from several small _pumpia® yells drilled by the 
Neason Hill O11 and Gas Company on th: Eugene SaVore fain about three 
Miles south of Meadville, Crawford Covntv, The wells are shallow 
(about 55C feet deep) and hence cheaply drilled, ‘hore is enough gas 
with the oil to provide power and heat for drilling other wells. 


IIf, Operations in previously developed territory, 


Drilling in proven territory developed little of interest e:ccent 
av two »vlaces,. The largest well of the year was. brovsit in by the 
@. Phillips Gas and 0il Comoany on the Thomas E,. Ifallissee farm in 
Plum township, Allegheny County, This well was resorted to have an 
imitiel production of 1400 bbls, a day of hish-fravity oil from the 
nunerec Boot sané and startled operators into an active crilling 


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Cainpaign in this old ane ceclining pool, Unfortunatelv the well »roved 
to be but a flesh in the van, other wets érilled nearby being either 
Gusters or small pumpers. At the »resent time the "big well on the 


Mallissee farm is not yielding one- eye nee en of its original procuction. 


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Levelopment was more successful near Tidioniec, ‘larren County, 
there Charles Carnahan brought in the first gusher April 20, 1922, 
The ‘idioute pool is in a region which was developed early in the 
history of oil production and until recently was thought to have been 
almost worked out. Carnahan's first well, however, found a prolific 
sand (called the Queen sané and probably to be correlated with the 
Clarendon sand) below the old yroducing sands (the Venango group) and 
it is this sand which has furnished all the production in the recent 
agevelopment, The top of the producing sand is about 750 fect below 
the top of the Third sand. "Pav" sand is about 10 feet thick. ‘The 
biggest well, Carnahan's No. 3 Schoelkopf£, was reported as having an 
initial oroduction of 1350 bbls. of 479 Beaume' amber-colored oil. 

It is quite possible that this figure is larger than the actual pro- 
duction, but there is no doubt that many wells in this pool were 
brought in which had initial productions of over 300 bbls. a day. The 
pool has been closely drilled and in conseqvence there is now a rapid 
falling-off in production from new wells. 


To date 115 wells have been drilled to the Quecn sand. For the 
first 29 days of January, 1923, the average »sroduction of the pool was 
1040 bbis, a day. The field has now been defined in every directior 
Save one - the southwest. There is still the possibility of an 
extension in that direction, The ricld as ceveloped at present has a 
length of about five miles, with a width of nearly three-quarters of 
Simeace «<0 the east of the oil pool seyrral large gas welis have been 
brought in on the Wheelock farm. The largcst of these was reported to 
have an initial production of 10,000,00C cubic feet of wet gas. 
February 6, 1925 six wells in this‘castward extension were reported to 
have @ combined capacity of 20,000,000 cubic feet of gas a day. As 
yet no use has bcen made of this production, 


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